Filmmaker Statement

Ubiquitous in the 40s and 50s during the polio epidemic—a disease which could paralyze the diaphragm—an iron lung is an air-tight, coffin-like, respirator that encloses a person from the neck down. It helps them breathe by varying the pressure within the chamber. Iron lungs are now more likely to be seen in a museum than a hospital, but for the very few people who still rely on them to breathe, their repair and upkeep are a matter of daily survival. I gravitated towards the story of IRON LUNG because it is an examination of the caretaker-patient dynamic that challenges our misconceptions of disability and what it means to live a full life. It is inspired by true events as there are many instances of iron lung users dying from power outages due to bad weather and lack of resources. It is important to me to represent the communities I present on screen as authentically as possible. For IRON LUNG, I reached out to the disabled community to find a working iron lung, and a quadriple